


Ought to Know Better

by Servena



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alcohol, Celebrations, Coming Out, Drinking, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Male Homosexuality, Post-War, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-10-01 19:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Servena/pseuds/Servena
Summary: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink before.”





	Ought to Know Better

Eugene only notices Babe as he’s already sliding into the armchair opposite him. The red hair gives him away before his face comes fully into focus. “Hey Gene, you okay?”

“Yeah.” He sets the half-full glass he’s been turning in his hand down onto the table between them.

Babe regards it with a curious look. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink before.”

“I usually don’t. Gotta be sharp in case someone gets hurt.”

“So what’s different today?”

Eugene shrugs. “If one of ‘em shoots himself in the foot, they gotta take it up with Spina. He’s in the aid station.”

“Glad to know someone’s looking out for us”, Babe says with a grin. “What are you having?”

Eugene squints at the glass. “I think that’s Cognac. I’m not sure, people keep handing me glasses.”

“They appreciate you.” Babe leans forward in the arm chair and sniffs the air. “Yeah, smells like Cognac.”

“What are you having?” Eugene nods at the bottle in Babe’s hand.

“Oh, it’s just beer, I’m boring like that. Though I gotta say the German beer is pretty good.”

“Probably smarter, too.” He looks over to the crowd at the other side of the room, where the rest of the company is enjoying themselves by playing cards and dancing to the loud music coming out of a record player in the corner. “Why aren’t you partying with the rest?”

Babe shrugs. “I wanted to get some peace and quiet. And I came to check on you.”

Eugene chuckles. “Ain’t that my job?”

“Well, seeing as you’re apparently not working tonight, I’d thought I’d pick up the slack.”

“Well, you ain’t gotta worry ‘bout me, I’m fine.”

Babe nods. “That’s good.”

“Bit drunk maybe.”

“Yeah, I figured that. You usually don’t talk as much.”

Eugene halted. “Do I talk too much?”

“No, I’m pretty sure you’ve just reached what is a normal baseline for everyone else.” Babe grins widely.

Eugene half expects him to get up and leave now, but Babe just leans back into the arm chair and takes another swig of his beer.

So Eugene picks up his glass again and takes another sip as well, grimacing at the taste and the burning in his throat. He’s never been much of a drinker except for the occasional beer, and mixing different stuff over the course of the evening probably wasn’t that smart.

He sets the glass back down and stands up. “I gotta get some fresh air.”

To his surprise Babe gets up as well. “Sounds like a good idea, I’m coming with you.” Then he takes a closer look at him and adds: “But not if you’re gonna throw up. That freaks me out.”

“Some medic you are”, Eugene says with a shake of his head that sends his vision spinning, and he reaches for the armchair for support. He feels ridiculous, he really ought to know better.

“Come on, let’s get you outside”, Babe says and takes him by the arm to guide him downstairs.

The cool air hits them immediately as they step out of the back door and clears his senses a bit, and he breathes in deeply. They turn a corner so they’re protected from the wind, where he leans against the wall and watches as Babe sets down his bottle of beer and lights himself a cigarette. The glow of the tip lights up his face as he takes a drag, making the red strands of his hair shine.

“Feeling any better?” Babe asks as he offers him the cigarette.

He accepts it with a nod. “Yeah, this is better.” He breathes in the smoke and then hands it back. The moment where their fingers brush together sends a tingle up his spine. “Though I really gotta learn to say no sooner.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Babe’s shoulder is resting against the wall as he’s facing him, the distance between their faces so small that Eugene can feel it on his cheek when Babe breathes out. “I really like you like this.”

Eugene bites his lip. He can feel his heart picking up the pace in his chest and every reasonable voice in his head is screaming at him that this is a mistake, that he’s put himself into the exact situation he has been trying to avoid almost the entire war, but while alcohol hasn’t ever made him do things he shouldn’t do, it can definitely make him avoid things he should do, so he’s staying exactly where he is. “Why is that?” he asks, his voice sounding almost imperceptibly shaky.

Babe doesn’t hand the cigarette back, instead keeping it between his fingers while his eyes stay fixed on Eugene. The light wasn’t enough to make out more than outlines at first, but now their eyes are getting used to the dark he can see the tip of Babe’s nose and the shine in his eyes.

“Gene, don’t hold what I’m about to do against me, okay? If I’m wrong, just forget about this. Please.” And then Babe leans forward and presses his lips against Eugene’s mouth.

For a moment Eugene doesn’t do anything, doesn’t think anything as his ears are filled with the sound of his own rushing blood and all he can focus on are Babe’s lips, a bit dry and slightly cold and tasting of beer, against his own. Only when he can feel Babe shift on his feet and knows that he’s about to pull away does he move, reaching out to grab Babe’s jacket to pull him closer and making him gasp, to kiss him back.

Afterwards, Gene needs a moment to catch his breath before he gets out: “You’re not wrong.”

“Thank God”, Babe blurts out.

There’s no need for further words. They both lean forward like being pulled by invisible strings until their lips meet again. Gene’s still holding on to his jacket, and the cigarette slips out of Babe’s fingers as he reaches out to bury them in Gene’s hair.

It burns out uselessly between the cobble stones.


End file.
